You (the person requesting this file download) fully understand mountain climbing (“Activity”) involves risks and dangers of serious bodily injury, including permanent disability, paralysis, and death (“Risks”) and you fully accept and assume all such risks and all responsibility for losses, costs, and damages you incur as a result of your participation in this Activity.

You acknowledge that information in the file you have chosen to download may not be accurate and may contain errors. You agree to assume all risks when using this information and agree to release and discharge 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and the author(s) of such information (collectively, the “Released Parties”).

You hereby discharge the Released Parties from all damages, actions, claims and liabilities of any nature, specifically including, but not limited to, damages, actions, claims and liabilities arising from or related to the negligence of the Released Parties. You further agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and each of the other Released Parties from and against any loss, damage, liability and expense, including costs and attorneys’ fees, incurred by 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. or any of the other Released Parties as a result of you using information provided on the 14ers.com or 14ers Inc. websites.

You have read this agreement, fully understand its terms and intend it to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law and agree that if any portion of this agreement is held to be invalid the balance, notwithstanding, shall continue in full force and effect.

By clicking “OK” you agree to these terms. If you DO NOT agree, click “Cancel”...

We set off on the standard route from N. Cottonwood Creek to start hiking up Harvard and Columbia early on Saturday morning. We completed all the river crossings in the dark without any problem. There is a large bridge, a small bridge, and a few tree bridges that are pretty solid and easy to cross. The trail through the trees was snowpacked and we reached treeline at about the same time the sun was rising. The peaks were snowcapped and breathtakingly beautiful.

Looking back down the trail from above treeline

As we followed the stream above treeline, the snow drifts got a little deeper and made for some potholing that continued all the way to the summit of Harvard. We stopped on the way to make a little snowman cairn. The snow was pretty fluffy and difficult to pack together.

Our snowman cairn before the final push up Harvard

We made it to the summit of Harvard and stopped for some lunch. The next picture looks at Columbia from the summit.

Looking at Columbia from the summit of Harvard

We set off for Columbia along Harvard's summit ridge until dropping down the gully through the snow. After several hours of trudging through the snow, we made it to the summit of Columbia. We didn't stay long, since we still had a little less than six miles to go to get back to the trailhead. Coming down through the scree was not much fun, but we were able to glissade/sled once we reached some snow about 500 feet from the Columbia ridgeline. The hike through the trees took a long time, since we were all pretty tired after such a long day. It seemed much longer on the way down!

We made it safely back to the trailhead after sunset. This is a gorgeous hike, but I would not recommend doing both Harvard and Columbia once the snow starts to fall. With 6,100 feet of elevation gain and 15 miles, it is a long combo under summer conditions. We were all pretty exhausted once we made it to the cars, but overall, it was another amazing and challenging hike in the high country.

Thanks for the report. I was planning on heading to Harvard this weekend, but now I might have to change my plans given how much snow is up there. Beyond just microspikes, is the post holing deep enough that I would need snowshoes?

I didn't wear microspikes or snowshoes while hiking up Harvard, but put microspikes on while doing the traverse to Columbia. The trail was snow-packed below tree line, had roughly 6 inches to 1 foot of snow above tree line, and had some deep pockets of snow in between the rocks for the final 1,000 feet. The backside of the traverse was pretty nasty with really deep snowdrifts, though I don't think that snowshoes would have helped much. I'd check and make sure they don't get more snow this week before you go. Good luck!

Caution: The information contained in this report may not be accurate and should not be the only resource used in preparation for your climb. Failure to have the necessary experience, physical conditioning, supplies or equipment can result in injury or death. 14ers.com and the author(s) of this report provide no warranties, either express or implied, that the information provided is accurate or reliable. By using the information provided, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless 14ers.com and the report author(s) with respect to any claims and demands against them, including any attorney fees and expenses. Please read the 14ers.com Safety and Disclaimer pages for more information.